When settling just won’t work

So often, I speak with people who tell me about their plan to just get their ‘foot in the door’ somewhere. They’ve decided that their skills are just not good enough to get them the job they want.

Sometimes, the person has decided to settle for a lower level position than they really want. They may be qualified to be a manager, but they’ve decided that taking an analyst position could possibly lead to a manager position in time.

Other times, they’ve decided to take less money than what’s normally paid or what’s fair. They think that if they can just get in to a company, they can show their value and the company will give them a raise.

Both of these misconceptions are just that – misconceptions. If you take a lower level position than what you’re qualified to do, you will in fact be performing a lower level position for the foreseeable future. A company is not interested to hire you at one level and turn around a few months later to give you a big promotion.

Even if your hiring manager has all the faith in the world in you, you never know how long they may be your manager. Re-organizations happen all the time, and bosses come and go.

Years ago, I accepted a great position within a large organization. On my second day, the manager who hired me (and who I had built a relationship with for over a year) announced his departure. He had received a great opportunity with another organization. It was a big shock for everyone, as he’d been with the company for years and was very well respected. I’ve always been thankful for that job – and that I didn’t plan to just ‘get my foot in the door’ when I took it.

Similarly, companies aren’t in the business of giving big raises these days. When you start out at one pay level, don’t expect to see your compensation dramatically change. Annually, even great employees only see a few percentage points added to their pay each year.

If you get promoted to a higher level position, or to a different department, you may have an opportunity to negotiate some. Unfortunately, it will be far less than an external candidate could do. You can typically expect just a slight bump for each promotion. Companies often consider internal promotions cheaper than finding an external candidate.

Think about it. When you take a job, you’re expected to stay at least 2-3 years. If you settle and just get your foot in the door, you’ve now signed up for 2-3 years of waiting for something that’s not a guarantee.

If you chose to wait a little longer to find the right opportunity now, chances are that it will take less than 2-3 years. And, when you do accept that right opportunity, you will KNOW what you’re getting into. It will be the job you want, at the pay you want. And, it will be an opportunity that you didn’t have to settle for.

As a reminder, the Copeland Coaching Podcast launched two weeks ago! This Tuesday and every Tuesday, I will interview an expert in the field of job searching – including coaches, recruiters, financial experts, and more!

You can listen to the podcast in two ways. First, it’s available for free download on Apple Podcasts. You can also listen on SoundCloud.com. So, whether you want to listen on your desktop, laptop, mobile phone, or tablet, you’re covered. Listen from wherever, whenever!

And speaking of finding a job, I’m searching for a Social Media Intern for Copeland Coaching.

This person should have extremely strong organization and time management skills, with the ability to work independently and meet deadlines. They should have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

At a minimum, they should have experience personally using social media. But, it’s not critical that they’ve used social media in business before. This will be a great learning opportunity for the right candidate.

This is a paid internship, and the intern may be located in Memphis or may work virtually.

The full job description is located here (note: this is a PDF document). Interested candidates are asked to send their resume, cover letter, and social media links to intern@CopelandCoaching.com.

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search.